164 BRITISH BIRDS' NESTS. 



movement. Notes : a kind of squeal. Local and 

 other names : Winter Mew, Sea Mew, Sea Mall or 

 Maw, Sea Gull, Sea Cob, Blue Maa. Gregarious. 

 A light sitter, and clamorous when disturbed. 



GULL, GREAT BLACK-BACKED. 



(Lams marmus.) 

 Order GAVLE ; Family LARID^E (GULLS). 



Description of Parent 

 Birds. Length about 

 thirty inches. Bill of 

 medium length, large 

 and powerful ; pale 

 yellow, excepting a 

 portion of the under 

 mandible, which is 

 orange ; upper man- 

 dible turned down at 

 the tip. Irides straw- 



YOUNG GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULLS. 



neck all round snowy- white. Back and wings 

 black, with exception of the tips of the quills, 

 which are white. Upper tail-coverts and tail- 

 quills white. Breast and all under - parts pure 

 white. Legs, toes, and webs pale flesh-colour. 



The female is similar, but somewhat smaller. 



Situation and Locality. On the ledges of mari- 

 time cliffs, on the tops of rock stacks and islets 

 in the sea and fresh-water lakes ; also on the 

 ground, in marshes and moors ; on the coasts of 

 Dorset, Cornwall, Scilly, and Lundy ; on the Welsh 

 coast, but most abundant on the western and 

 northern shores of Scotland and the islands lying 

 round about ; also in Ireland. 



